


You always had honor

by Kittyismyotp



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hakoda (Avatar) is a Good Parent, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Zuko (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, and he gets one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:09:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26454682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittyismyotp/pseuds/Kittyismyotp
Summary: Zuko is a frightened child and what kind of father would Hakoda be if he didn’t at least try to make him feel loved
Relationships: Hakoda & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 40
Kudos: 541





	You always had honor

To say that Hakoda was curious about the fire nation prince would be an understatement, he did not quite trust the boy, even if it seemed that Sokka trusted him with his life if what happened at the boiling rock was anything to go by.

So Hakoda kept an eye on the boy and watched him as he interacted with the others who resided in the air temple. Out of everyone, it appeared Zuko was most comfortable with Toph and Sokka, he sat beside either one of them at every meal and usually only talked to them if he talked at all.

And as he watched he pondered what could make a boy turn away from his father and nation, leave his home to join a group of people who he did not even know would accept him.

His thoughts however we're interrupted by a sudden loud crash, Hakoda shifted his gaze and sighed when he realized Sokka had dropped a teapot which had shattered across the ground.

Sokka met his gaze and winced "sorry Dad" he said and immediately knelt down to pick up the broken pieces.

Hakoda stood up and chuckled quietly as he made his way over to his son and helped him with the task.

When he stood back up a moment later he was met with Zuko's puzzled expression, the prince was looking between him and Sokka with confusion in his eyes.

Hakoda was surprised when the firebender actually spoke "he dropped it" he said, looking at Sokka with slightly narrowed eyes.

The others in the camp turned to look at him with varying degrees of confusion on their faces "what sparky? you never dropped a dish before?" Toph asked as she shoved a bite of food into her mouth.

Zuko chewed anxiously on his bottom lip "what? Of course, I have" he muttered and slouched back against the boulder he was sitting against "but he broke it" he said again like they were all missing something obvious.

As they all continued to stare at him in confusion it only made the prince grow red in the face "why is no one mad?" He spluttered out and gestured between Sokka and Hakoda "you should be mad!" He declared loudly, his finger pointing at Hakoda.

Still, everyone just looked at him with varying levels of confusion, except for Hakoda who had come to a conclusion in his head. It wasn't a very nice conclusion, in fact, he hoped he was wrong, but he didn't think he was.

The next second Zuko was standing up with a frustrated groan and throwing his arms up into the air "I don't understand you people" he snapped, the fire in front of them flaring slightly at his sudden anger.

However, he paid no mind to the flames and instead turned and stormed away from the group, entering a separate room in the temple and leaving their sight.

"Uh, what was that about?" Aang questioned as he watched his fire bending teacher with obvious concern on his young face.

Hakoda sighed and set down his cup on the ground "I'm going to speak with him" he said and turned to follow after the boy.

"Dad just leave him alone, he's obviously mad and I don't want him to hurt you" Katara spoke up for the first time in a while, her gaze trained steadily on her father.

Hakoda sighed and looked down at his daughter for a moment, he didn't blame her for not fully trusting Zuko yet and so he didn't try to tell her off, he just smiled softly and tried to reassure her "I really don't think Zuko will hurt me" he told her.

"Besides, something is obviously wrong and I think I should at least check on the boy" he added as he walked past the group of kids and went after the fire prince.

The room he entered was one he hadn't explored yet, it had a small fountain in the center and a wall with a large mural of trees painted across it, he glanced around and his eyes quickly landed on Zuko, who was sitting at the edge of the room which cut off to a steep drop into the gorge that the temple was built into.

The boy was sitting right on the edge, his legs dangling into thin air in a way that made Hakoda's heartbeat faster with worry.

He made his way over, stopping beside Zuko and looking down at the boy "mind if I sit?" He asked, gesturing at the ground beside Zuko.

The prince shrugged "I'm not stopping you" he said in a small voice that somehow still echoed around the room and down into the cavern below.

Hakoda carefully sat down and looked up at the darkening sky above them "are you not scared of falling?" He asked, without taking his eyes from the sky.

"I have good balance" came the quiet answer, Hakoda hummed in answer and they sat in relative silence for a few moments more.

Until the silence was broken, this time by Zuko, who cleared his throat and spoke rather awkwardly "did you come here to talk about the kettle?" He asked.

Hakoda smiled gently and finally looked back at Zuko "I wanted to ask you about it, but if you don't feel like talking about it I can leave" he explained in a kind tone.

Zuko looked up and shrugged his shoulders "we can talk, I don't mind" he mumbled, hunching in on himself slightly as he spoke.

Hakoda let out a soft sigh and leaned back, setting his hands on the ground and leaning all his weight onto his arms "Your family weren't kind to you, were they?" He asked.

Zuko scoffed and raked a hand through his hair "you figured that out from a broken pot?" He asked.

Hakoda pursed his lips and reached over to set a hand on the boy's shoulder only to feel him immediately tense under Hakoda's touch "it wasn’t just that, despite the fact that you rescued me you seemed extremely wary of me, especially when I was around my children, you seemed to think that I should be angry with Sokka, that he had done something that warranted punishment" he said as he pulled his hand away.

"He did," Zuko said, in a voice so soft that Hakoda almost missed it "he broke it and I don't understand why no one was mad"

Hakoda looked down and let out a sigh, he was suddenly struck by how young Zuko was, it seemed he was barely older then Sokka and yet he was already taught to fear touch, to shy away from the smallest gestures.

"He made a mistake, a simple mistake that needs no punishment and even if I did punish him it would not be in any way that you seem to think," he said, trying hard to keep his voice steady "I have never laid a hand on my children, I would rather spend the rest of my life in that Godforsaken prison you saved me from then hurt either of my kids"

Zuko looked up and simply starred at Hakoda for a long moment "if that's true then you're nothing like my father"

Hakoda couldn't help the slight chuckle he let out "I'm taking that as a compliment, I'm not your Dad's biggest fan"

Zuko hummed and nodded "my Father is harsh, but he says it's what's best for me" he mumbled, "I understand most of the times he hit me, I deserved it"

Hakoda clenched his jaw at those words and started to speak, to try and clear those thoughts from the Prince's mind, but was stopped when the boy continued speaking.

"But this" he whispered, his hand slowly coming up to touch his scarred cheek "I didn't deserve this and I told him that"

Hakoda choked back a gasp and felt his hands squeezing into tight fists "he did that to you?" He asked, his mind racing as he thought about what kind of monster could do that to a child, to their own child.

Zuko gave a humorless laugh and nodded "yeah" he sighed "I wanted to go into a war meeting and my Uncle let me in, he made me promise I wouldn't speak, that I would just listen" he scoffed as he continued "but I was an idiot, there was this General who had a plan to send an entire Division of new recruits to the front lines where they would be used as live bait and would inevitably be slaughtered" 

Hakoda couldn't miss the way that Zuko's hands were trembling, his fingers moving restlessly around each other "I stood up and told them that the plan was wrong, that it was wrong to take advantage of our loyal soldiers who fought for our nation"

Retelling this story was clearly painful, but the boy continued "speaking out like that was seen as an act of disrespect and I was ordered to fight an Agni Kai, I assumed I would be fighting against the General who's plan I had insulted, but when I was in the arena and turned around it wasn't him"

Hakoda knew where the story was going and part of him wanted to stop Zuko so he didn't have to hear the gruesome details of a Father scarring his son, but he knew this was something Zuko probably needed to speak about so he kept quiet.

"When I realized it was my Father I didn't even fight, I got on my knees and I begged" Zuko choked out, through a sudden sob "I begged for forgiveness and for mercy" the last word came out as a half-broken sob.

Hakoda couldn't help himself when he reached out and placed his hand on Zuko's shoulder, he was surprised when the Prince didn't push him away and instead just let the hand stay.

"He didn't care, he told me to stand and fight for my honor and when I refused he said " you will learn respect and suffering will be your teacher" before reaching out and cupping my face in his hands"

Zuko closed his eyes and tilted his head up, like he was imaging himself back to that time, on an arena floor with his father standing over him.

"It was actually gentle for a moment and I remember thinking he had forgiven me, because why else would he touch me so softly?" He asked, opening his gold eyes, not minding the tears that slipped down his cheeks "but then he grabbed my hair and yanked my head back and suddenly his other hand was against my eye and I was burning"

Hakoda squeezed gently on Zuko's shoulder, wishing he could do more, but being too afraid he would scare the boy.

"I screamed and cried, I kept begging him to stop and he just didn't care, no one cared, they all watched it happen and no one cared" Zuko reached up and rubbed harshly at his eyes "I could smell it, I could smell my face being burned off" he gagged slightly at the memory "after a minute I just passed out, I passed out on the floor and when I woke up I found out I had been banished"

"I couldn't come home unless I returned with the Avatar in chains, only then could I return with my honor and so I searched, I looked for three years, I sailed around the world for three years before Aang reappeared at your home" his expression suddenly morphed into one of guilt “I was horrible back then, I was so lost and angry all the time, I wanted so badly to go home, to earn father’s forgiveness that I didn’t care who I hurt and I am so sorry for that, for threatening your people”

Hakoda sighed deeply and closed his eyes, a few months ago he would have been angry at Zuko, but now as he looked at him and listened to the boy talk, he couldn’t find it in his heart to hold any malice for this boy, this scared and broken boy who had only wanted to go home and be loved by his father.

“You're forgiven” he said gently, “and for what it’s worth Zuko, you have honor, I don’t believe you ever lost it, because you’re father is a man without honor and a man like that could never take away yours”

Zuko looked at him with wide eyes, they were red rimmed and watery, filled with a longing that hurt Hakoda’s heart, for it was a longing for care, for love and kindness, something the prince had been so deprived of for so long.

“Thank you” Zuko mumbled, his lips curving into a shaky smile.

“Also Zuko, about what you said before, that you understood why your father hit you, that he told you that you deserved it” Hakoda paused and lifted his hand to place his hand softly on Zuko’s cheek, turning the firebenders face so they were eye to eye “that is not true, no man should ever hit his children, for any reason, it is cruel and unforgivable”

Zuko swallowed thickly and rapidly blinked his eyes, his face turning from an expression of surprise to one of sadness in mere seconds, tears once again swam in his golden eyes and dropped down his right cheek, while his left which was permanently slanted in a scowl shed not even one tear.

Hakoda couldn’t help the shocked sound that escaped him when Zuko suddenly dived forward and without a warning he wrapped his arms around Hakoda, holding onto him with a fierce grip.

As soon as his surprise faded however Hakoda was more than happy to return the hug, his chin resting on Zuko’s head and the boy buried his face in Hakoda’s chest and seemed to let go of all his pain.

Hakoda placed a gentle kiss upon the prince's head and rocked him back and forth, muttering quiet reassurances into the soft hair that tickled Hakoda’s face.

They sat together for hours, Zuko slowly calming down, his sobbing turning into soft hiccups, which then morphed into the occasional sniff.

Hakoda smiled minutes later when he looked down and saw that sleep had claimed Zuko, his eyes were shut and tear tracks were shining under the faint light of the moon, but he looked peaceful, which made Hakoda’s heart warm with a softness he felt for his own children.

He chuckled softly and laid back, resigning himself to sleeping on the ground, the gentle heat that always seemed to radiate from Zuko was all he had to keep him warm.

He closed his eyes, letting the exhaustion from the day wash over him and as sleep grew ever closer he whispered a prayer to the moon, praying that Tui would keep these children safe, that they would have to suffer no more from the agonies of this pointless war.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written in like 3 hours so it isn’t great, but please enjoy


End file.
